02026nas a2200349   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653000900065653001500074653002000089653002700109653001200136653001100148653002200159653001100181653001600192653001200208653000900220653001600229653001800245653001300263653003000276100001400306700001200320700001500332245007500347300001100422490000700433520122200440022001401662       1991                            d  c1991 Oct10aAdult10aAged10aCell Cycle10aCells, Cultured10aChromosome Aberrations10aDapsone10aFemale10aFollow-Up Studies10aHumans10aKaryotyping10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aMitotic Index10aRifampin10aSister Chromatid Exchange1 aD'Souza D1 aDas B C1 aThomas I M00aCytogenetic studies in leprosy patients before and after chemotherapy.  a665-700 v873 a<p>The frequencies of chromosome aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), cell proliferation kinetics and mitotic indices were studied in peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures of leprosy patients both before and after chemotherapy. The differences in the frequencies of chromosome aberrations and SCEs between controls, paucibacillary and multibacillary patients were found to be statistically highly significant (P less than 0.001). The extent of cytogenetic damage seemed to depend on the severity of the disease. Lymphocytes of untreated leprosy patients showed a low mitotic index and a slow rate of cell proliferation. Following combined treatment with dapsone and rifampicin there was an increase, but to a lesser degree (P less than 0.01), in the frequency of SCEs and chromosome aberrations while the drug combination of dapsone, rifampicin and clofazamine had a nonmutagenic effect on chromosomes of the patient. Furthermore, after drug treatment, the cell proliferation rate and mitotic indices in paucibacillary patients were comparable to that of controls. These results indicate the clastogenic potency of Mycobacterium leprae and the remedial effects that follow therapeutic drug treatment.</p>  a0340-6717